The Wrap-Up

Friday evening, after our last classes, was our wrap-up party. Hunter sang one song in Spanish, then Chris B., Ethan, and Kelly sang along with Shakira, and then we had the Salsa competition. It took awhile for people to get the nerve to do this, but the winners of the final five couples were Matthew and Sadie, and Max and Becca. The school served us Mole (I don't know how to put the accent on the e...) and tamales, rice with vegetables, and some kids made short speeches in Spanish. Two kids had found that you can buy awesome fireworks in Guatemala, and, well - it was the Fourth of July - so I went out to the courtyard with them as they lit the fuse on fireworks that lit up at least all of Zona 1 in brilliant colors.


Saturday morning we left for Antigua - finally it wasn't raining there - at least not initially - so we had a little time to explore. Sunday we all had our own chicken bus (In Spanish, you pronounce this "Chicken Bus") to get to the airport. To Atlanta, fine... with plenty of time left for customs....oh wait.... even more time. A two hour delay because of bad weather someplace else... and we finally boarded around midnight, and found the parents in Richmond after two A.M.
There were lots of things people were looking forward to on return to the U.S. - long hot showers, Bodo's Bagels, seeing friends - but then we found a lot of friends in Guatemala, and there are a lot of things we will miss. Congratulations to the whole group for embracing the experience. Good luck with tests this week, and happy travels for the future - it's a big world out there...

Post your photos!

I have set up a group room at Snapfish.com so we can share all of our pictures or the past three weeks in Guatemala. You can find the group room at xela2008.snapfish.com. I'm uploading my pictures there, so feel free to steal them. You might have to set up a snapfish account, but it's free and pretty simple.

Please email me if you have questions about the group, or if you have any trouble uploading your pictures. I'd be happy to post them for you. Also, email me if you know of particular pictures I might have that aren't posted - there were way too many to post, but I'd be happy to email you individual pics if you want them.

Hope this works! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's pictures!

-Rosemary
rosemaryshep@gmail.com

p.s. I miss you all already. Hope to see you around Charlottesville soon!

Another Update

A lot has been going on, as people want to check off everything on their Guatemalan to-do lists. Everyone is making the most of the last few days here. This morning is a free day, so people are shopping and getting one last ice cream cone at Pops.

Yesterday, we went to an area high school to donate 9 big suitcases filled with donated soccer jerseys, balls, shinguards, and more cleats than I have ever seen in one place. The donated equipment filled the small administrative office.

We got a warm welcome from the students at the school, and the gym teachers organized some friendly games for us - 5 on 5 boys and girls basketball, and a massive soccer game. The entire time it was drizzling and chilly outside, but everyone played well. The students got to try out some spanish with the Guatemalan students, and some of the students practiced a little English with us.

This afternoon we have an end-of-the-trip party at the school. Then tomorrow we're off to Antigua for part of the weekend, then it's just a short ride to the airport in Guatemala City on Sunday.

July 3

In 12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time, there is a poorly translated expression written, I think, in a Cambodian restaurant, "Esteem the chance bootie." I think we've got that down. Some kids went to see Buena Vista Social Club when they came to town last week. Some others rented bikes and got to the top of some hill high above the city. Some found a Korean restaurant in Antigua that had Kareoke, and sang Beatles' songs. Yesterday a Guatemalan Elvis played at the school - he was very good, on Elvis and others.
Today we celebrated Chris Bergin's birthday. Along with the cake and pinata, Salvador set off firecrackers - a long string of them, for the traditional Guatemalan mark of a birthday.
Yesterday we were divided into three groups for three Habitat projects, working on houses in the country. Today we go to a high school for soccer and basketball.
I'm a little surprised at how little complaining I have heard - where is the homesickness, the longing for pizza? Also, I'm pleased to see the kids "get it" on many fronts - that supporting the cooperatives is a good thing - You'll see things from Trama and Cafe Consciencia, for example - and about how much good a bunch of kids can do when they work together.
Not much longer. I'll do one more blog after we go to the high school, to show some of the games played, and the high school we helped - and who will probably slaughter us at soccer. Ah, well.
At least I think we are all healthy now.

The photos

June 30

Yikes! Time is flying, and we have less than a week. Some kids are in panic mode about Spanish... I have told them they should be getting in about two weeks' worth per day. Bueno.
What have we been up to - Friday afternoon we took a bus to Antigua - got dinner on our own, in the rain. Saturday we woke at 3am to take the bus to Guatemala City, the plane to Flores, another bus to the Mayan ruins at Tikal. Our guide, Pavlo, gave us a great tour of a few of the temples and pyramids ....I know the difference now.... After lunch, many of us went back to the ruins to wander around the Grand Plaza. Some sat still up on the steps there and were joined by four spider monkeys. It is a sub-tropical forest... beautiful for the birds, flora, fauna... but some little nasty thing bit some of us to smithereens. It looked like a sweat bee, stung like a horse fly. I've heard the name a dozen times but I need to have it written down. Our hotel had a pool, and some took advantage of that, the museums, the visitor center... some went on the canopy tour - the zip line through the forest, albeit with more of those nasty insects...
Sunday night in Antigua again, more rain... it was a treat to see it in the light and sun today. Then back to classes this afternoon.
Tomorrow we visit a high school. Wednesday is a Habitat project, working on three different houses, and Thursday we play soccer - fotbal - and basketball with a high school group. Thursday we will give the soccer equipment that we gathered from friends and from the SOCA donations.

June 26

We have passed the halfway mark! I gave them all a talk yesterday about paying attention to their benchmarks - I hope they are all on top of it, as we should have done a semester's worth by now.
Yesterday morning was a free morning, so you will have to ask your kids what they did. Some went up to Zunil and the volcanic hot springs via "chicken bus", others went back to Trama, the weaving cooperative, some to the Mercado Democracia.... I went to Copavic with Rosemary and Margaret - where a group of about 24 will go tomorrow. It is a glass-making cooperative, and you get to go in the factory and see them making glasses, glass elephants, pitchers... it was awesome.
Today we switched the La Pedrera/ Hogar orphanage groups, and played games, mostly. Some little kid made off with my deck of cards, but not before I taught him a couple of card tricks. Our kids did really well with all these little kids - soccer, drawing, tag games....
A few kids are going to a concert tonight of the Buena Vista Social Club... we'll get them home safely.
Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Antigua, then an EARLY - we rise at 4am - flight to Tikal, overnight in Tikal, back to Antigua, and we won't be back here until Monday afternoon, in time for lunch and classes... don't expect a lot of email or blog entries in that time - but I'll try to report on Monday.